Monday, November 25

Several foreign tourists have been killed in Laos after drinking poisoned alcohol, sparking concerns over future contamination in other drinks.

Two Danish citizens, two Australian citizens, one British citizen, and an American citizen -- a total of six people -- were killed after consuming alcohol beverages that were poisoned with methanol. The tourists were visiting the small town of Vang Vieng, located in Laos, throughout this month, where they drank the contaminated alcohol. An additional 11 people were hospitalized after drinking small amounts of methanol from the same batch of alcohol, and several are currently in critical condition.

Methanol, a toxic type of alcohol, is primarily used in the production of acrylic plastics, synthetic fabrics, adhesives, and paints. Ethanol is a less toxic type, and it is used in the making of alcoholic drinks in addition to being an ingredient in many personal care products and the E85 derivative of gasoline found at gas stations. However, ethanol can be quite expensive in certain countries, leading cheap alcohol producers to illegally use methanol as a substitute for it-- but it can be extremely dangerous. Depending on someone's body weight, drinking between 25 and 90 milliliters of methanol can cause death, while as little as 10 mL can cause irreversible blindness or visual impairment.

Unfortunately, incidents like this are common in developing countries all over the world, where criminals often sell tainted or counterfeit alcohol under the disguise of a real, well-known brand. South and Southeast Asia is the largest hotspot for methanol poisoning, including countries like India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. One website, Doctors Without Borders, has reported 943 instances of methanol poisoning across South Asia, East Africa, North Africa, and Central America that affected over 39,000 people, 12,000 of which were killed. One of the most recent instances of this was in mid-June, when 56 people were killed and another 117 were hospitalized in India after the consumption of tainted "arrack," a locally-produced, distilled drink that is similar to moonshine. Another incident in April 2020 killed over 800 people and poisoned over 5,000 others in Iran after citizens were under the false impression that drinking the contaminated alcohol would prevent them from getting the coronavirus.

Multiple governments around the world, including Australia and Britain, are all urging tourists to avoid drinking spirits or other alcoholic beverages in high-risk areas, especially Southern Asia. In addition, they have warned that if they do purchase a beverage, they should double-check the label on the bottle or buy from a certified distributor to avoid buying a counterfeit knockoff that may contain methanol.

Upcoming Events:

• International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (Monday, November 25)

• Chess World Championships Begin (Monday, November 25)

• World Sustainable Transport Day (Tuesday, November 26)

• Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 28)

• International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (Friday, November 29)

• Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare (Saturday, November 30)

• World AIDS Day (Sunday, December 1)

Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Leeches have a very strange body composition. Their body is divided into 32 internal segments, along with two additional head segments. Due to this, they have 32 brains (one per segment), 2 hearts, 5 pairs of eyes, 10 stomachs, 42 reproductive organs, 3 jaws, and hundreds of teeth.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Like crying wolf, if you keep looking for sympathy as a justification for your actions, you will someday be left standing alone when you really need help. (Criss Jami)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Lenient (adj)- Someone or something described as lenient is not harsh, severe, or strict. In other words, they allow a lot of freedom and leeway, and do not punish or correct in a strong way.

In a Sentence: The teacher was lenient in her grading after the holiday break.